Dog’s Unusual Behavior Alerts Owner of Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Animals have a sixth sense, as the adage goes, but this is especially true of Ceto. When the Labrador-retriever mix suddenly grew anxious around his owner and began poking at her, she decided to visit a doctor. It turns out that the dog’s odd behavior had predicted her cancer diagnosis.

The story begins in Cary, North Carolina, in January 2021, when Ceto began acting strangely around 36-year-old Chase Johnson. He would follow her around the house anxiously while whimpering and, after a few weeks of this, he “got all worked up” and prodded Johnson’s left breast with his nose. She realized that his nudging hurt and, upon feeling her breast, she discovered what she described as a “rubbery lump.” She then arranged several medical appointments and received a mammogram, ultrasound, and a biopsy, after which she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Compared to other forms of breast cancer, TNBC is more aggressive and invasive, tending to grow and spread faster. It also has a worse prognosis and fewer treatment options, with an overall relative five-year survival rate of 78%.

“If [Ceto] had not [poked me], I would not have found [the lump],” Johnson, an attorney, told SWNS in a recent interview.

This wasn’t the first time that Ceto sensed something was off health-wise. In the past, he had behaved similarly toward Johnson’s husband, 48-year-old Ben Byrn. The dog ultimately managed to alert Byrn to the fact that he had colon cancer, also by being anxious and following him around. “When [Ceto] started feeling anxious again, we knew he was warning one of us, and my husband just had a clear scan, so we knew it was me,” Johnson added.

Following her TNBC diagnosis, Johnson underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy, a lumpectomy, and lymph node removal. Her oncologist even told Johnson that if she had waited any longer to begin treatment, she “may not have survived.” As of this writing, Johnson is currently cancer-free. She is also participating in a Cleveland Clinic trial for a preventative breast cancer vaccine, alongside 35 other patients. Early findings suggest that the vaccine produced an immune response in most participants.

“It’s a hopeful time for all of us concerned about this serious disease,” G. Thomas Budd, the study’s principal investigator, said. “For TNBC, until just a few years ago, chemotherapy was our only systemic option beyond surgery and radiation. Recently, immunotherapy has shown benefit when combined with chemotherapy, which makes exploring a vaccine strategy even more significant.”

As for Johnson, she’s incredibly grateful for Ceto and his life-saving intervention. “Ceto has always been my little shadow; we are very much bonded together,” she commented. “If I didn’t have Ceto, and if I didn’t have that past experience with my husband, I might not be here.”